Experienced Rider Beginner Mountain Biker

hi,
i've been riding dirt bikes since i could basically walk and have grown into two wheels becoming my second nature. well recent events have caused me to take a wild interest into mountain biking because it just seems completely epic. But my expertise isnt exactly on bicycles without motors. So im looking for help into what would be the perfect bike for me to begin with. i have read some of the other posts about people asking for help but it seemed to be more about people who are starting off fresh. i want to know what would the best bike thats not to expensive but that i could still throw it into some berms and jumps without having to worry about it breaking down on me. any help at all would be amazing. thanks

If you can spend the extra money, go full-suspension right from the start; you will not regret it. You have the skill-set already and a full-suspension bike will let you adapt that skill-set more quickly and allow you to progress and honestly have a lot more fun.

I come from a moto background and, having enjoyed all the capabilities that long-travel dirt bikes allowed it was a kind of a let-down my first few times out on entry-level hardtails. I made the mistake of buying cheap full-suspension but it still was more fun to me than a rigid or hardtail and gave me a thirst for more and more travel as I got faster and more daring.

Try out as many as you can and try to get a feel for what fits and rides best for you and what just really trips your trigger. Welcome to the pedal-powered side

Yeah but it really comes down to what you are willing to spend. Decent full suspension bikes are going to be $2500+++ unless you can get a deal or go used.http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/29er-h...6_1548crx.aspx
An all mountain hardtail along the lines of a Kona Honzo might be a good option too and cheaper.

Im sort of in the budget for something under $900 and was looking at a diamondback with full suspension and 29 inch wheel for $750. i was wondering if this seemed like good start of for me. Where i live my friends dad has a huge jump built in his backyard so im most likely going to spend some time there. Is it better to go with a 26 inch or a 29 inch, or even a 650 b. im already going to go with full suspension, and the cheapest best one that can do the trick is my target.

I think you'll find 650b more to your liking than 29. 26 is still a great choice too, especially if you intend to progress into more aggressive riding (which it sounds like you will). Diamondback does a fine job of hitting value price points with very capable machines.

To get decent full-sus on that budget, you are going to need to buy used.

Balance these 2 factors: how much bike you like to have under you for the fun stuff, vs. how much bike you want to pedal uphill with. MTB is ridiculous with the subcategories of bikes: downhill/all-mountain/trail (not trials cuz that's something else), enduro, etc... so good luck navigating that. Buy a rocky mountain slayer.

Meh, I'd pass on all three. I agree that full-suspension is the way to go, but only if you find a decent full-suspension bike within your budget. I'd rather see you on a hardtail than any of those three bikes. Keep an eye on Craigslist. It sometimes takes some patience, but there are good deals to be had.